Refulgent
by Glenn Stenislause
Summary: In a destabilizing Rapture two youths etch out their lives.
1. Chapter I Admiratio

It was dark.

Not a comfortable dark in which you maintain your bearings but stumble and fumble about. Nor was it a particular darkness in which the word "dark" is applicable to describe it. No… dark is wrong, so very wrong. A dismal blank slate of absolute nothingness, a void where the blind could see better then the sighted are both more appropriate descriptions.

Although it could not be seen there stood a building of steel, brass, and glass. The structure was curved, cracked and crumbling. Yet it looked and was incredibly firm. It was an orphanage. Within the top floor, in the fifth window on the right was a girl. In the room behind the window there was light. In every corner a lamp glowed.

A figure in the place too dark to be called dark took notice of this light and moved toward it with near silence. The being crawled across the rooftop of the small ghetto locking hook onto pipe and cable bit by bit moving toward the faint beacon. Eventually the figure became close enough and leapt onto the side of the orphanage. It scrambled into the fifth window on the right on the top floor.

The figure was a figure no more within the light. It was a man, or rather used to be. It's face was distorted. He had a massively swollen left eye. It's top lips were largely missing exposing irritated red gum causing it to wear a perpetual scowl. He wore a tattered grey shirt and black pants which were full of holes. It had sunken eyes and a bandage across its forehead. The man held two hooks in his hands and stood deeply slouched as if trying to stay hidden even though he was plainly shone by the lamps.

" Hello Mr. Spider Splicer " welcomed a sweet voice from the back of the room. The man blinked as if remembering it could speak. " Good day to you little darling " he replied walking toward her. She had long black hair draping over one eye. The other eye reflected a green light which resembled a cats. She wore jeans a white T-shirt and a brown jacket. Her voice stayed nice but changed somewhat to sound formal.

" I am Nreya Muor'oe, owner of this room. What brings you here?"

His voice was scratchy but incredibly eloquent " I am…" He paused thinking then shook his head.

" It doesn't matter. I am hungry, and I am tired, I must apologize-in advance. For your room looks comfortable. And you look… how shall I put this, delectable."

Tears welled in her eyes dropping to the floor as she spoke " But-but surely you don't mean…"

He rushed toward her and in a comforting tone cooing "shhhh."

The man raised her chin with one of his hooks so that their eyes met. " There-there darling, it won't hurt. Much that is"

She sniffled and opened her mouth and spoke without any of the fake sweetness she had used before.

" Too bad this will hurt a ton "

Before the man had any time to question or react in any way Nreya Muor'oe, owner of the room on the top floor (fifth on the right) brought up a long jagged shard of glass and in one fluid motion slit the splicer's throat. She backed up so that she wouldn't dirty any of her cloths by the man's blood as he fell and hit the ground. In his dead eyes shone not a look of furry nor sorrow but of sheer and utter surprise.

Nreya hated playing cute to freaks. But once again feigning defenselessness succeeded in dropping an ugly's guard. After looting any items that could be of value she turned and asked toward another room.

" Andy can you help me toss this garbage out the window?"


	2. Chapter II Moestitia

**The Following Day**

Nreya Muor'oe was sitting at a small desk quickly scribbling in a small book. She wrote:

**Fear**

_Is it really a needed emotion?_

**Fear**

_Why can't I ever shake it?_

**Fear**

_Will there come a time when it stops plaguing my dreams, chilling my blood?_

**Fear**

_I neither care about nor mourn the villains I have stricken down…yet because of what they could do, what some have tried to do, I continue to be wrapped in _**Fear.**

_I had felt this before, had been choked by it. But before it was different, much much different. Before I had the luxury of lesser fears: the fear of rejection, the fear of judgment but never the __**fear of death **__or the __**fear of loss**__. Like a cobra __**fear**__ is long and menacing. But where, does the beast start, where does the monster end?_

_In the days when Andy is away I cannot help but feel it whenever a light goes out. During these times I sometimes painstakingly focuses on the when, the how, and the why of it all. _

_I'm am not all __**fear**_. _For if that where true I would be what The World sees me as. I would be in a paralysis whenever __**fear**__ was with me. I would be defenseless, weak, like a child. No I am not all fear. In my fifteen years I have learned to not be. _

_I have learned to bury it, within hate. __**Hate**__ smothers it. __**Hate**__ controls my fear, keeps it in check. And do you know lil' diary that I __**hate**__ you to. How useless you are. But because Andy says so I write. Because he believes it would be good for me I write. Because I have nothing better to do…_

_I write._

Nreya scribbled a bit more then angrily slammed the book closed. She took out a small locket from beneath her shirt and opened the heart-shaped jewelry revealing a faded and crinkled black and white picture.

A single tear fell from her left eye.


	3. Chapter III Amicus

**A Week Later**

Nreya stared down at six sprawled out face up playing cards. On one side of her desk she had an Ace, a Three, and a King. Directly across these three lay a Nine, a Five, and, a Queen.

Ace Vs. Nine

Three Vs. Five

King Vs. Queen

" How would this play out…" She questioned the cards. Nreya rolled her eyes " Well obviously the Ace disembowels the Nine. Five obliterates Three, and the Queen uses the King's ear." Nreya waved her hand in a queenly fashion:

"The Fair Lady **coo's **to Him, I hate that Ace, and for his Wife he gladly stabs the Ace in the back. Team Queen wins.

Yes.. that's most definitely the way it would happen."

Footsteps were audible outside. Nreya readied her pocket knife, crossing her arms with the knife in her palm to keep it concealed but not hindering an instantaneous use of it if need be. The footsteps came closer, the knob wiggled, then turned.

In burst a Euphoric adolescent. He was fairly tall with light brown hair and fair skin. A wide smile of satisfaction and self-pride was worn. He looked at Nreya with god-like green eyes. The boy of sixteen maybe seventeen exclaimed "I found one. A jewel in the desert, a diamond in the rough!

Nreya stowed her knife and spoke " You believe everything to be treasure, I don't see how an old newspaper clipping, or whatever shiny pipe you might have found this time can really be that great."

His smile faded somewhat then returned with renewed pungency " Owch wee lil' Nrey has not seen this yet though." He held up a book which was badly damaged. It was blackened and charred with half it's pages missing. The title could partially be made out. " The ly ible, what does that even mean?" Questioned Nreya. The boy replied " I don't rightly know…but hey-take a look at this lil' part: Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Interesting eh? Another For the Shelf?" He lifted one eyebrow and nudged Nreya in the side with his elbow. Nreya started " I don't know…doesn't seem like the author put a lot into that, maybe we shouldn't." The boy considered " How about I put it on the bottom shelf till we find something worthy of you" He smiled wider. She smiled back " Oh shut up Andy."


End file.
